Squadron Leader Glen Willcox (A400M Flight Test Commander for UK Test & Evaluation) and Flight Lieutenant Dave Arnold recently gave a talk at the RAeS about the introduction of the A400M Atlas into RAF service.
It was a very interesting presentation, and it's a very impressive aircraft.
One thing that surprised me was the fact that each new aircraft the RAF receive from Airbus has different/improved capabilities - and there is no expectation of a stable platform even in the mid future.
I questioned them as to whether this might be dangerous - a pilot could get confused, or the wrong aircraft could be taken out on a specific mission. My concerns were batted away, as Squadron Leader Willcox emphasised that they wanted to be able to use all the toys in the box.
Just after the talk, the dangers of operating a "fleet within a fleet" were brought home by American Airlines flying the wrong A321 to Hawaii.
Hopefully the RAF will not suffer the same problem - the consequences could be rather more serious.
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